Issue: July 2024
The scarlet letter
A touchy-feely Labour government must embrace the ugly reality of business
Why levelling up failed
We must think local in order to foster growth
A very innocent man
Donald Trump is innocent squared. He never does, or is, anything by halves
Only Joe Biden can save America
He needs to keep reminding the American public that unless they vote for him they are evil and racist
Whistler in black and white
A video artwork that aims to critique Rex Whistler’s controversial mural in Tate Britain lacks context and nuance
A misguided election briefing
The Church must recognise there are Christians on both the left and right of politics
Why so few men take up the pen
With publishing now such a female-dominated industry, it’s no surprise that there are so few men writing fiction
Graham Topman: festival organiser
Roll up, roll up, it’s time for another festival of arts, ideas and Graham (mostly Graham)
We must punish the parents
How should France tackle the problem of repeat juvenile offenders?
Ringo Starr
The man cruelly mocked as “not even the best drummer in The Beatles” must be the most underrated musician of all time
Most Read
American strategy in Iran is wiser than it seems
President Trump’s intervention will leave the world safer than it was
Saint Nicola
Nicola Sturgeon wants sympathy for her husband’s crimes—but after years spent avoiding awkward questions, her latest reinvention may be the hardest sell yet.
The lonely death of Henry Nowak
We must draw lessons from a horrendous and disgraceful case
Rewatching the English
English identity has become too surreal and discomfiting to define
A failed war on fags
The black market has taken over the tobacco trade Down Under
From Newton to newts
Putting badgers on the banknotes may avoid controversy, but it also avoids saying anything meaningful about Britain at all
The BBC needs competition
The scandal-ridden Beeb is doomed if it is not held to higher standards
Zurbarán on Freud’s couch
An acclaimed new exhibition is full of overwrought symbolism and compositional failures
The fog of facts
As elections approach, voters are forced to navigate a swamp of spin, distortion, and inaccessible data.
Marketing masters
Catching the eye of a buyer in the social media era
Migration musings
A new book on immigration is welcome in its honestly and openness
Low energy
Rachel Reeves and Mel Stride are inconsistent while Reform are invisible
The battle between sacred and profane
When the divine law appears to clash with our sense of justice, can it truly be considered divine?
The Reparations Game
Chris and Henry talk to Nigel Biggar about reparations.
Beyond Carmen
Georges Bizet: The piano works (Hyperion)
Will London fall?
If the Greens take London, what might happen to policing?